Practicalities, Notwithstanding
by allismine
Summary: Three oneshots questioning the practicality in some of the background occurrences in “Naruto”. Manga spoilers.
1. Deforestation

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**Disclaimer:** _"Naruto", and all canon characters and characteristics remain the property and rights of Kishimoto Masashi. All I own is the writing itself, and any original features and / or attributes portrayed within said writing._

**A/N:** Reviews are highly appreciated!

I--I

"Naruto" is a highly popular Japanese manga / anime series, created by one Kishimoto Masashi of Japan. Its storyline basically consists of documenting the trials and tribulations of several Shinobi (ninja), and their respective lives in the Shinobi village of Konohagakure no Sato (aka 'The Village Hidden in the Leaves').

Now, we all have fun watching the hilarious, somewhat..._disturbing_ antics of the series' protagonist, Uzumaki Naruto. Whether it be getting conned into paying hundreds of yen for ramen, or transforming into a naked girl causing severe nosebleeds leading to random faints due to an extreme lack of blood; hey, who cares, it's funny.

And we all enjoy the reasonably graphic battle scenes which occur once or twice every few episodes, usually depicting the opponents lashing out at each other for a deeper reason than just to fight. We all enjoy watching two well-trained Shinobi battle it out in the forest, displaying an impressive range of fighting techniques, whether it be Jutsu, Kekkei Genkai, or just a well-aimed kunai.

But the sad fact is over 2,246 trees (and counting) have been destroyed during these so-called 'fight scenes'.

Although the background environment portrays the illusion of an infinite forest, that should not be a suitable excuse for this mindless destruction. Just because there are billions of trees, it doesn't give us the right to chop them down for no apparent reason.

As it is with humans; just because there are billions of us, we have no right to kill the 'unimportant' ones off without a valid reason (the beliefs of Uchiha Itachi and Sabaku no Gaara notwithstanding). Destroying trees is no joke, and should not be taken lightly.

For example, when one Uzumaki Naruto called forth a giant toad using the summoning technique (also known as 'Kuchiyose no Jutsu'), the toad took up approximately two and a half _thousand_ square feet, which is the equivalent of 250 trees.

Another such instance is the final battle between one Tayuya of Otogakure no Sato, and one Temari of Sunagakure no Sato. Over 450 trees were destroyed in that scene alone.

This pointless eradication of flora must end. The death and blood, power and gore, kunai, senbon, and Jutsu is all well and good, but do it somewhere _other_ than Japan's forests. Kill each _other_ off; kindly leave the surrounding environment out of it. We all love Naruto, and every battle in it, but for once, _please_.

Think about the trees.

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	2. Self Mutilation

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**A/N:** I am so, so sorry about this, but this was practically SCREAMING to get out. xD

I--I

Another common occurrence in "Naruto" that should be brought to your attention is the glorification of self-mutilation.

Sacrificing your life for a noble cause, or willingly throwing yourself in front of a kunai to protect the one you care for is a brave and honorable action, and is not what I am speaking of. What I'm speaking of is of a violent, and more graphic nature.

For example, in order to complete a skill known as a 'Summoning Jutsu', one must tribute a small amount of blood before the Hand Seals are performed. As shown by many of the Shinobi in "Naruto", this blood is most commonly extracted by _biting_ the tip of one's thumb. For one, how hard must one bite down to penetrate one's own _skin_?

Another instance of this glorification appears in episode 6, when one Uzumaki Naruto shoves a kunai through his hand in order to drain poison from his bloodstream. In episode 28 of the series, Uchiha Sasuke dispels a Genjutsu placed on his consciousness by stabbing himself in the leg. A different, almost _masochistic_ version of self-mutilation was displayed in episode 55, when Rock Lee sneaked out of his hospital room to train in his near-death condition. He was literally _killing_ himself training, but hospital officials managed to stop him before he did any more irreversible damage.

Although the result may justify the means, consciously inflicting damage upon yourself is _wrong_. Yet...the lines of 'wrong' and 'right' are substantially blurred when you are Shinobi, so...I suppose we'll let you off with a warning this time. Just remember. Every time an emo cuts, God kills a bunny.

Save the bunnies, Sasuke.

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	3. Family Values

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**A/N:** First and foremost, I would like to send a formal apology out to Hidan for not including the obvious in the previous installment, for that chapter was written and released long before its writer was aware of your pwnsome existence. And to answer your question...no. She says to thank you for your generous offer, but she definitely _cannot_ accept 'a first class ticket to hell via Air F---ing Impalement' at this given time.

I--I

A particularly distinctive trend in the 'Naruto' series is the obvious lack of cherished family values. Save Yamanaka Ino, there is not one main character who leads, to this day, a normal home life. There are even a few unfortunate souls whose assumingly-existent families aren't even given an honorable _mention_ throughout the _entire_ duration of the series, such as Rock Lee, Tenten, and even our very own Haruno Sakura.

Eighty percent of the rookie characters' mothers never appear on screen / page.

Several other relatives of the series' protagonists / supporting cast are portrayed with highly unfavorable behavior, such as Hinata's father's unfatherly disposition, Shikamaru's father's languorousness and his mother's frighteningly unstable dual-personality, Kiba's mother's outbursts of unwarranted violence, and Sasuke's brother's...problems.

Upon hearing the words 'warm and inviting', the Hyuuga clan isn't exactly the first family to come to mind.

Upon hearing the words 'alive and well', the Uchiha clan isn't there either.

Temari, Kankurou, and Gaara's father wasn't at all hesitant to order the destruction of his own son. Did either sibling lift a finger to protect their youngest brother, even as they got older? I think not.

Chouji's father is a glutton.

Shikamaru's father is a drunk.

And Kiba's house is just chock-full of bitches, isn't it?

The canines.

...I was referring to the canines.

The point I'm trying to convey is that it IS, in fact, possible to record the _positive_ side of family relations without the character's backstory becoming all family-centric. Showing a character's home life gives them depth and purpose; the same kind of sympathy we got with the Hyuuga clan, but in a way that _wouldn't_ depress the hell out of us. We want to see _healthy_ family relations for once, Kishimoto! Would it really be so terrible to see Sasuke and Itachi go on a fishing trip together? Or to have Hiashi and Neji have an uncle-nephew night out at the movies? There must be a logical reason why Kishimoto Masashi seems to discriminate against his characters having sane relatives...

...it makes us wonder what _his_ family must be like.

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End file.
